Strength in Sacrifice
by halstead
Summary: AU. Fraught with worry seeing Harry at Hogwarts holding the body of Cedric Diggory, Sirius goes to get some answers. This leads to confrontations and a set of events that change the world. The question is, where do some people find the strength to go on?
1. Faked Appearances

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DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, he belongs to J.K Rowling and if you are reading this and think any different then St. Mungo's should be your next port of call.

Summary: AU. Fraught with worry seeing his Godson, Harry James Potter arrive in the grounds of Hogwarts holding the body of Cedric Diggory, Sirius Black goes to find his Godson. This leads to confrontations, revelations and a set of events that will forever change the course of the world. The question is, where do some people find the strength to do what is needed?

AN: Hi all, This is my Third Fic. It will only be 15-20,000 words so buckle up and prepare yourself for the ride of a lifetime!

Strength in Sacrifice

Chapter 1: Faked Appearances

To say that Sirius Black was not _that_ happy with the current situation was like saying that the Chudley Cannons were not _that _bad of_ a _Quidditch Team. Just minutes ago he had watched his beloved godson, Harry James Potter, the fabled Boy-Who-Lived return to Hogwarts clutching the Tri-Wizard trophy in one hand. The other one though was holding an arm attached to the body of the other Hogwarts champion Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff boy was undoubtedly dead whilst Harry looked distraught and shaken by events unseen to Sirius.

Throwing caution to the wind, Sirius made his way out of his hiding place in the shadows and started to trot his way over to his godson's position, all the while in the disguise of his trusty animagus form of Padfoot. Padfoot, a big black dog, was thankfully only known to a few as Sirius was an unregistered animagus and twelve years in Azkaban meant that he didn't use the form much in the public eye.

Sirius Orion Black is a wanted murderer in both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds yet the fact remains that he never committed any of the crimes he was accused of. Betrayed by friends and manipulated by enemies, an innocent man spent twelve years in Azkaban Prison in the company of the Dementors, the foulest creatures to walk the world of man. Now the first ever escapee, Sirius's innocence is only known by very few with the two most important people being his godson and the Headmaster of Hogwarts and most powerful light wizard, Albus Dumbledore.

Making his way stealthily through the panic ridden crowd, Sirius was only twenty feet away from Harry when his godson was led away by Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody. Moody, a legendary Auror who was famous for catching the highest number of Dark Wizards in recent history, he once captured six Death Eaters single-handed. Due to the amount of enemies he gained Moody was also known for being the most paranoid man in the wizarding world.

But something piqued Sirius's suspicion. Why was Moody taking Harry away from Madam Pomfrey when the boy obviously needed medical attention? Why was Dumbledore looking around like he had lost something? Then there was something about Moody that smelled familiar. The smell that had not been near him for a long time, one that had reminded the dog animagus of Azkaban Prison. A smell that had abruptly changed one night, weeks before the prisoner had died.

__

"No," Sirius thought desperation and denial running through his head, _"It can't be. He never could have fooled Dumbledore for that long…"_

But Sirius was sure and without another thought took off towards the castle, his safety be damned, following the still fresh scent of his godson. Missing the flash of light that he narrowly avoided entering the castle and again as he ducked through a tapestry, Sirius ran faster than human legs could carry, he ran as if his life depended on it. In and out of secret passages, Sirius found his path led to the Defence against the Dark Arts corridor where the scent of his godson was very strong. Changing back into his human appearance, Sirius pulled out a wand that he had managed to steal off a drunk in Hogsmeade. With that he stealthily made his way towards the Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom and the teacher's office beyond where his sharp canine hearing detected voices.

Just hearing seconds of the conversation was enough to convince Sirius that his instincts were correct. With a wave of his hand, a blast of Pure Magic disintegrated the door and Sirius jumped into the room wand raised and shouted:

"Blasot!"

A powerful blasting curse hit Barty Crouch Jr., who was still in his guise of Alastor Moody before he could utter a single word. The man, whose wand had been pointed threateningly at Harry flew back off his chair, hit the stone wall with a loud "crack" and slumped to the floor motionless.

Stunning Crouch again for good measure, Sirius had barely pocketed his wand before his godson had literally tackled him in a hug. Holding him tightly, Harry began to mumble incoherently into his Godfathers chest.

"Sirius…Moody…fake…Crouch…cup…Portkey…graveyard…blood…ritual…Wormtail," at the mention of the traitors' name Sirius stiffened.

Whispering soothing words, Sirius managed to quickly calm Harry down so that he could talk and think rationally. Harry quickly told his Godfather about Moody being Barty Crouch Jr. and how it was him that entered Harry into the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Then Harry briefly proceeded to inform Sirius about the Third Task and the subsequent events that followed before he uttered two words in a choked tone that chilled Sirius right to the very core.

"He's back."

Sirius knew that Harry was speaking about the monster Voldemort, a wizard that Harry had vanquished at the age of one. Harry became the most famous wizard in the world that night when he became the first person ever to block the Killing Curse, effectively rebounding the curse back onto Voldemort who became less than a ghost, his body destroyed.

"It'll be alright Harry, tell me the rest later," Sirius said as Harry went to open his mouth to speak again. "Let's get you to the Hospital Wing; Dumbledore will know what to do."

Pocketing Crouch's fallen wand, Sirius stunned the man again for good measure and taking Harry by the shoulders, the pair began to make their way to the Hospital wing.

They had barely managed to get three steps down the corridor when they both heard heavy footsteps rapidly approaching them from behind. Preparing to turn and fight, a familiar voice shouted:

"Padfoot!"

Sirius relaxed temporarily knowing that the voice belonged to Remus Lupin. However seeing the look on his friends' face and his dishevelled appearance Sirius was back on his guard in an instant.

"Don't have long Padfoot!" Remus gasped still out of breath, "Aurors and Dementors are here for you, and somebody saw Snuffles and recognised him!" Remus was speaking quickly, furtive glances around the corridor told Sirius that his friend was not joking. But he was not finished yet, "they also want to question Harry too. Dumbledore gave me this. It's a Portkey to my house, he said that he will come and get us as soon as he deals with the Ministry, "Remus explained hurriedly pulling a Chocolate Frog card of Morgana Le Fey from inside his robe pocket.

Sirius didn't particularly like the idea, Harry needed medical help plus the fact that the mere mention of a Portkey had sent Harry shivering but as many more footsteps, probably Aurors, began to be heard in the distance, Sirius turned to his Godson.

"Harry, it'll be fine, you have to trust me. I wouldn't ever let anyone harm one hair on your head as long as there is breath in my body. Do you trust me?" Sirius implored, looking his godson right in the eyes, matching his loving look measure for measure.

"Yes, I trust you Padfoot, I just don't want you to get hurt. He's said that he will be more powerful than before in no time. What if Dumbledore can't stop him? Just go Sirius, leave now, I'll delay them. Go!" Harry selflessly pleaded to Sirius; the footsteps came closer with each second that passed.

"Don't worry about me Harry, I have a few tricks that I picked up over the years. I should be worrying about you not the other way round. Now come on," Sirius replied reaching out and touching the Portkey that a decidedly nervous looking Remus held in his hand. He was rewarded when seconds later Harry reached out a shaking hand and touched the Portkey.

When Harry's hand came into contact with the card Remus whispered:

"Portus," With a crack the trio left Hogwarts, just five seconds before the footsteps sounded in the corridor where they had just been standing.


	2. Unthinkable

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, he belongs to J.K Rowling and if you are reading this and think any different then St. Mungo's should be your next port of call.

**Chapter 2: Unthinkable**

With a "pop", Sirius, Remus and Harry portkeyed into there desired destination and landed in a tangle of limbs as each tried to raise themselves from the floor unsuccessfully.

Harry was on his feet, wand drawn in an instant and was scouting the room for threats; he would never be unprepared again in his life. Fortunately the room was devoid of life and look as though it had been for some time.

To Harry the room was like some old Victorian parlour he had seen at Primary School once. It was furnished with a hard looking wood furniture sofa, two armchairs that seemed to have been made from the same material, a chandelier covered a good portion of the ceiling and a thick woollen rug adorned most of the floor space. The thing that stood out most to Harry though was how thick the dust was on everything. The room looked like nobody had been in there for decades. Sirius was obviously thinking along the same lines as his godson when he voiced his thoughts:

"Moony, you forget how to do a cleaning charm?" he joked trying to lighten the tense atmosphere that had surrounded them.

"No Padfoot, I live on the grounds in the old caretakers hut, this house has been empty for years." Remus replied swiftly, making his way to the door.

"Why not capture the place for yourself then Moony; you could turn the place into a pad!" Sirius asked though the loom on his face suggested that he and his magic had taken an instant dislike to the house.

Harry couldn't agree more. But there was something about the house as well. Or mansion as Harry's quick glance out of the dusty windowpane told him. A sense of foreboding filled Harry, almost like déjà vu and he didn't like it one bit. The last time a feeling like this came over him it ended with "Kill the Spare" and Harry prayed to whoever was up there that nothing else would go wrong.

"Come on you two, let's get moving." Remus urged, stepping out of the room and into the hallway.

Turning to his Godfather who was wearing an indecipherable look, Harry said in an urgent, serious tone that he hope conveyed his feelings to the man in front of him:

"I don't like this Padfoot, something is wrong."

Instead of being laughed at like he thought he would be, Sirius actually nodded his head in agreement.

"I feel it too Har and I don't like it one bit." He spoke with concern lacing his voice. "This old place gives me the creeps. Reminds me too much of my old childhood home. Let's just get you out of here and you can rest." Sirius motioned for Harry to go through the door first.

Harry just appeased his Godfather who he noticed looked on edge. He had no desire to tell him how bad he really felt or how his rest for the near future would be haunted by green flashing light and the words "Kill the Spare". He didn't want Sirius to worry: the man had enough to deal with as it was.

Stepping out into the slightly cleaner corridor that still ran with the 19th century decorative theme, Harry was dimly aware of his Godfather following very closely behind him as they began walking.

The trio went down several corridors and a flight of stairs but Harry had a feeling that they were no closer to leaving than they had been on arriving at the house.

Finally their walk led them to the ground floor where they proceeded to a huge set of regal looking double doors. With every step towards the doors, Harry's sense of déjà vu grew with each step. Trying to put these thoughts out of his mind, Harry focused on now that Voldemort was back, Pettigrew might be seen and his Godfather pardoned.

As Remus pushed the right door open and entered, Harry's step faltered. A calming hand from Sirius eased his worries and Harry followed Remus through the doors with Sirius on his right. The night just went downhill from there.

The first thing that Harry saw once entering was flashes of light heading in his direction, with each flash of light coming from a wand in the possession of figures all wearing black robes and white masks. Harry stood there, rooted to the spot until strong arms grabbed his shoulders and threw him to the ground, the lights being absorbed by the wall behind him.

Snapped out of his reverie Harry whipped out his wand and quickly surveyed the room. Remus was lying unconscious on the floor, parallel to where Harry had been flung by Sirius. Sirius himself was furiously throwing curse after curse at the Death Eaters that numbered around twenty. But due to the mismatch in numbers he was having to defend both himself an to an extent Harry so his chances to attack were severely limited though Harry did see Sirius manage to hit a Death Eater with a Neck Breaking curse, definite Dark Arts.

"Stupefy," Harry quickly stunned a Death Eater that was trying to quietly make his way to ambush Sirius from the side.

Unfortunately this action led the Death Eaters to turn their full attention onto Harry who soon became overwhelmed by barrage after barrage of curses that headed his way. Even with Sirius using every powerful shield, charm and transfiguration at his disposal to defend Harry, often leaving himself exposed in the process, Harry couldn't hold his shield for much longer; it was weakening with every use.

The pair were slowly being forced back into the corner of the room with the Death Eaters closing in fast. Out of desperation Sirius sent a blast of Pure Magic at three advancing Death Eaters to his left who went sailing through the air, unprepared against such powerful magic from a man who had spent twelve of the last fourteen years of his life in the company of the Dementors. Seeing his chance, after blocking two bone-breaking curses heading for his godson, who was duelling two Death Eaters at once, Sirius pointed his wand towards the fallen Remus and cried:

"Enervate"

Alas, instead of gaining another ally in the fight, the charm seemed to have no effect on Remus who Sirius thought must have been hit with a stronger curse. Sirius's selflessness came back to haunt him though. A Death Eater seeing Sirius attempt to defend Harry and awake Remus simultaneously, thus leaving himself unprotected, capitalised. Pointing his wand at Sirius, a male voice shouted:

"Exterbo"

The Hammer Curse hit Sirius full on, sending him slamming into the corner of the room that was only four feet or so away. Instantly he rolled to avoid three incoming curses and in one motion was back on his feet fighting. This astonished some of the younger, lesser Death Eaters who had not heard of his reputation during the First War. However, even a momentarily lapse in Sirius's duelling was enough to tip the balance of the affair. With his Godfather momentarily out of action and unable to block some of the curses heading in Harry's direction, Harry had been sufficiently weakened enough so that four disarming charms smashed there way through his battered shield sending his precious wand into the hands of a grateful Death Eater. This left him wandless and at the mercy of the Death Eaters, adding more déjà vu into an already horrific experience.

Sirius raised his wand and hand in an attempt to salvage his godson's life; his own life meant nothing to him and hadn't for years, he had resigned himself to death long ago. Before he could properly summon the magic he desired though, a silky voice that Sirius would recognise anywhere reached his ear. The voice of none other than Lucius Malfoy.

"Don't be foolish Black, put your wand down, your hands out in front of you or I'll personally re-intrude your precious boy-who-lived to the Cruciatus Curse. Mine might not be as powerful as my Lord's but I'm sure that he will enjoy it nonetheless." Malfoy drawled in his usual aristocratic tone with his wand firmly pointed towards his wife's cousin knowing full well the extent of his wife's cousin's capabilities.

Sirius tensed at the unspoken message in those words and quickly glanced at Harry who had five unwavering wands trained right between his eyes. Sirius thought for a moment about chucking the wand he had taken from Crouch earlier to Harry but his primary goal was to get his godson to safety. So seeing no other way out at the current moment, he dropped his wand to the floor where it landed with a clatter and extended both his hands in front of him. He would think of a way out for Harry very soon; at the moment he just wanted his godson spared from harm. Sirius did wonder what Lucius was playing at though, he knew damn well that Sirius could easily do magic without a wand; he was a Black after all. His question was answered though when Lucius surprised Sirius by using a derivative of a charm that Sirius had not hard since the First War.

"Latin for bind body core magic total"

The derivative of an ancient charm used to bind one's wandless magic from use hit Sirius, shackling his wrists together with a muggle handcuff look a like, before he could respond due to the close proximity of Lucius. From what he could gather from the Latin used, the bindings not only prevented wandless magic but all type of magic's. Sirius swore and Lucius couldn't help make one more remark.

"Seems like even the great Black couldn't foresee that one coming, nice spell that one isn't it, supposed you expected me just to bind your Wandless Magic and then at the right moment you would escape, save your little brat and be a hero. Not going to happen Black." Lucius spoke in a tone that screamed amusement and sarcasm.

Harry and Sirius were then binded to the wall with wrist and ankle restraints, in Sirius's case the wrist shackles were used instead and his hands were placed above his head. They were both now effectively helpless in the solution of this situation, Harry in particular. Once the Death Eaters had checked that the pair of them were indeed securely binded, they stepped back into the ranks of their comrades.

Then like a message had reached every Death Eater telepathically, they all formed two lines, Lucius Malfoy included and one Death Eater stepped out of the masses. For a moment Sirius was sure that he saw a glimpse of silver coming from the person's robe where his hand was supposed to be. By Harry's sudden intake of breath, Sirius figured that his godson had met this figure before. When the figure pulled down his hood however, Sirius was staring into a face that he himself knew all too well.

Peter Pettigrew had arrived on the scene; maniacal grin and an unnerving smile that made Sirius feel a chill in his very soul. It however took Sirius every piece of self-control and desire for the safety of Harry that he possessed to not attempt to use every shred of magic he held to try and break the bonds he was held by and then disembowel Pettigrew bit by bit.

Pettigrew still yet to speak just gave Sirius one last creepy hate filled look before walking over to the prone form of Remus.

"You hurt one hair on his head and I swear that I will kill you rat!" Sirius vehemently shouted at Pettigrew though he still careful to keep his magic in check though it was getting harder with every second that passed.

The next sequence of actions that transpired though would haunt the days of Sirius Orion Black forever, the happenings burning into his skull, implementing into his mind and they would never leave. A shadow would form and it would follow him to the day he died.

Instead of harming Remus like Sirius had expected him to do, Pettigrew used no magic at all or even any muggle torture. He simply extended his non-silver hand and was rewarded when seconds later the arm of Remus Lupin looked with his using Pettigrew as an aid to help himself up. Once up, Remus stood beside Pettigrew, his face twisted in a scary, mocking way.

"I always thought I was wrong, it just can't be!" Lucius Malfoy exclaimed in a tone far from his normal aristocratic tone.

His proclamation was echoed by a couple of other astute Death Eaters from within the inner circle. This included a voice that Sirius could have sworn was Severus Snape's. Not that he particularly cared at that moment in time. The rest of the Death Eaters just stood there in confusion, their wands alternating between where Sirius and Harry were bound and where Remus and Pettigrew were standing.

The wheels were turning rapidly in Sirius's mind and he did not like the conclusions that he was ending up at yet he still was unsure of so many things.

"Fight it Remus, fight it, fight the curse!" Sirius hollered at Remus, desperate for conformation that Remus was being held under the Imperious Curse or something similar, just to hold on to the last bit of denial that Remus had not gone and done the unthinkable.

The laughs that this drew from Pettigrew and Remus, as well as scattered Death Eaters in the ranks cut Sirius right to the bone. It took a pleading look from Harry who was also giving off magical energy whilst looking at Remus with a deadly glare to stop Sirius from magically exploding. Pettigrew then began to make his way towards Harry and Sirius, giving them a look that weirdly bordered on pity and sorrow but both of them were too far-gone in their fury to care.

"Explain!" Sirius spat at Pettigrew and Remus, his tone cold enough to freeze lava. After looking him up and down, Pettigrew began to speak to Sirius who Harry was sure was beginning to glow slightly.

"Firstly, for all you Crabbe and Goyle's out there!" Pettigrew began in a false game show host accent but soon turned deadly serious. "Let me introduce you all to Remus Lupin, better known to some of you as Silver!"

The response to this statement was instant and amazing. All the Death Eaters apart from Malfoy who was wearing a look of approval and Pettigrew suddenly dropped to their knees and bowed to the man they were ready to torture and kill just minutes before.

Remus just stood there, wearing a look on his face that made Sirius cold to his very soul, it was if Dementors were near the cold was so bad. The werewolf then stepped forward towards Sirius and Harry and began to explain the situation to the animagus whose magic was flaring in bursts of cold fury, the binds keeping it from escaping. In addition, the soft aura that Harry had seen earlier was getting brighter by the second, a brilliant mix of blue and gold.

"Calm yourself Sirius or I will personally curse Harry. I have also heard that he has a personal affinity to the Unforgivables. But he out done himself tonight, it seems Harry has achieved again what no other wizard has done. He managed to block the Imperious Curse from the most powerful wizard in history. You must be so proud Black!" Remus finished his introduction with something akin to a sneer displayed across his face.

"Explain now traitor and I might not kill you where you stand right now!" Sirius snarled, magic lacing each word as the air around him crackled with raw magic as his aura brightened considerably.

Despite him being bound by supposed magic restricting bindings, Remus took the threat very seriously indeed. He knew that Sirius was more powerful than anybody thought, Dumbledore and the Dark Lord included. He was even more powerful than James who was known to be the third most powerful light wizard during the last war behind Moody and Dumbledore. This was because Sirius rarely displayed his full power preferring to be laid back and mischievous but Remus knew that he was more powerful than Moody and maybe even close to Dumbledore's level.

Remus wasn't scared though. His Master would arrive soon and his powers made Sirius look like a squib. Plus once Sirius and Harry were disposed of, Remus had been promised power more so than Dumbledore's and a place at his Lord's right-hand for life, he was finally able to step out of the shadows.

"Don't even try it Sirius or I will make Harry scream for mercy, just try me!" Remus snarled at Sirius who was looking positively murderous. "Explain?" Remus echoed Sirius's previous statement. "How about this Padfoot. I was the traitor. I was working for the Dark Lord since just after we left Hogwarts. It was me who recruited Pettigrew. He wasn't easy to break actually Sirius. He adored you and James. Worshipped you actually. To be honest the rat impressed me. Even after several Cruciatus Curses he still refused my Lord's gracious offer to join the winning side. You know what broke him though Sirius. James did. When he didn't even invite poor little Peter to Harry's christening even though he was supposed to be your good friend. How do you think that made him feel?" Remus finished with a smirk on his face and it only took Sirius a second of thinking to realise why, then it hit him.

"You bastard, you set the whole thing up. James wrote Peter an invite; I was there at the time. We hadn't got together in a while then you dropped in and said that you will see him soon so James gave it to you. When James asked you about it on the day you said that Peter was with his mother who was ill. You're sick do you know that!" Sirius spoke in a deadly tone, the bindings that restricted his magic shaking under the amount of magic that they were having to block but still holding firm.

"That's right Sirius, I just happened to forget about it. Silly me. Once Peter was onboard it was easy. I knew that James would never make me the Secret Keeper and Dumbledore was starting to get suspicious of me too. Why do you think he employed me third year? It was because he could keep an eye on me, as there were rumours of My Lord resurfacing in Albania. All my absences that were planned to put doubts in your mind worked too well, the old man started to suspect that something up and that there was a traitor. I had to act loyal, so I used Peter here. I made him suggest to you that the Dark Lord would know that you would become the Secret Keeper and it would have been perfect if you could have found a decoy, then all the attention would be on you and the real Secret Keeper would be attention free. Peter then suggested that if you switched at the last moment, telling no one including Dumbledore of the change to the Keeper than no one would suspect the change. Predictably you thought that Peter, who took lots of "convincing" but you, using your charm, you won him round. Then you convinced James who convinced Lily. Peter here was made the Secret Keeper; everything went to plan until the impossible happened. A one-year-old baby defeats the most powerful Dark Lord since Salazar Slytherin. Decades lost to one inexplicable moment. Come tonight however the Boy-Who-Lived's luck will run out!" Remus finished with a gleeful, mad look that was frankly very unnerving.

"Why though Remus, why dammit?" Sirius screamed, magic spilling from his barriers as the room shook on its foundations. Sirius suddenly found him and Harry at the wand point of twenty Death Eaters. Taking a deep breath Sirius listened to what the traitor had to say.

"Power, Sirius, pure and simply power. The power that you and James had in abundance. The power that no matter how hard I studied or worked, you two would just wave your wand and it would happen. The Dark Lord simply offered me power. You and James were always more powerful but soon I shall be stronger than the pair of you combined!" Remus cackled loudly as a happy look came across his face as he thought about the power that he would be receiving.

"But James and Lilly. How could you?" Sirius sounded broken but his aura was proof to the cold fury that still consumed him.

"James Potter was a cold cruel bully whilst Lily Evans was an obsessive control freak. You my dear Padfoot, you are the worst. You are a reckless, self-centred ego-maniac who turned his back from the right path long ago." Remus summed up his feelings about his old school friends before adding, "They deserved to die and when My Lord arrives you will finally get to see them again." Remus finished looking like someone who had finally got to say what they wanted.

Sirius was by now past caring, he could feel the fury bubbling up and in that moment knew that the bindings couldn't hold him. Sirius now realised the futility of the situation and fully intended to go down fighting but not before he got Harry to safety. Before he unleashed his magic, he made one last remark to Remus before he fully intended to kill the man.

"You Remus, you a spineless traitor and a dark creature who I should have…"

Sirius and his threats were cut off by a muffled scream of pain from someone beside him. Spinning round his magic ready to explode, Sirius saw his godson struggling against his bounds, holding his scar in agony. _"That could only mean one thing." _Sirius thought.

Sirius's line of thinking was confirmed seconds later when a grotesque deformation of a man entered the room. His blood red eyes shone ethereally on his bone white face, whilst his skeletal figure was hidden by robes, you could tell that he was walking with the aid of magic.

Lord Voldemort had arrived.

**AN**

**I need a big favour off anyone willing to give it. I need someone to BETA this chapter and the subsequent 3 as the BETA I had could only do the first one. I would be deeply grateful and will send them the next chapter of YHSR a day before anyone else gets to read it!**

**Araidel: Actually I'm only 16 and just started College not Uni. I'm in Year 12 so to speak! Good luck with the GSCE's. Just one tip: Do the Coursework when you get it unless you like being up for three days straight!**

**Cheers**

**Halstead**


	3. Defiant To The Last

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, he belongs to J.K Rowling and if you are reading this and think any different then St. Mungo's should be your next port of call.

Quick A/N: I've gone back and updated chapter 2 especially the incantation where I forgot to change it to Latin but nothing major.

**Chapter 3: Defiant to the Last**

Lord Voldemort had arrived.

The air seemed to thicken with magic as the Dark Lord walked the length of the room to where the action was happening. Upon his entrance, all of the Death Eaters dropped to the floor, Remus included, drawing an inhuman smirk from the demonic looking Dark Lord.

Looking intently at the Boy-Who-Had-Lived-At-His-Expense, drawing a muffled shout of pain from the small child, the Dark Lords smirk grew. Then he swept his gaze to the other prisoner, Sirius Black. A man who had been a very large thorn in his side during the First War. The man had once taking out four high ranking Death Eaters on his own and then even escaped from Voldemort himself. Even when he planned for Wormtail and the thirteen Muggle mercenaries to finish the job on the Potters and their friends by killing Black it had failed. He had resorted to hiring the scum of the Earth Muggles as he did not want to risk anymore of his Death Eaters being taken out of commission. He had been shocked and surprised to learn last year when Wormtail came to him that Black had killed all the mercenaries with one burst of magic and that Wormtail himself had barely escaped in time.

_"A great asset Black would have been."_ Voldemort thought bitterly, _"Pity the muggle-loving fool wasn't like his family; his brother was a loyal servant."_

Turning his full attention back to the situation at hand, the Dark Lord quickly ordered his Death Eaters, who were thinly numbered but that would soon change, to form a semi circle around him so that he was directly facing the prisoners and they were effectively blocked from escaping. Looking into the defiant eyes of the chained pair, Voldemort addressed the two for the first time since entering the room.

"Well it seems like our young hero has returned and brought another fool with him. Tell me Potter, will this one die as quick or shall I have some fun first." Voldemort's maniacal grin grew wider at the guilty look that now consumed the silent boy's face, his Gryffindor bravado failing him at that present moment as he wallowed within his guilt.

This didn't stop Sirius from replying though, Dark Lord holding him captive in a room full of Death Eaters or not:

"Big words _my_ _Lord_," Sirius spat the mocking words at the man as if he was scum and seeing that his insult hit home he continued, "Killing schoolboys now are we and your still doing a bad job. You'll be attacking babies next. Oh wait you've already done that and failed too. How about you remove these chains and let's see how you fare against a trained wizard." Sirius insulted the Dark Lord, all the while thinking how he could get Harry to safety.

Voldemort visibly shook with anger at Sirius's words and the air seemed to crackle before he addressed the man again with a furious look on his face.

"Not a good idea to insult me you muggle-loving fool. You wouldn't last a minute against me just like your precious best friend. Now how about we see how long you can last under the Cruciatus." Voldemort raised his wand and Sirius, still furious at the reference to Prongs tensed but the curse didn't come. Instead the Dark Lord pointed his wand at Harry instead and said to Sirius, "Actually how about you watch your precious Boy-Who-Lived receive it first."

Raising his wand, Voldemort spoke cruelly "Cruc…"

That was as far as he got though as a magical explosion rocked the room as Sirius used every ounce of power he possessed to break the binds in the process unsteadying everyone in the room. Whipping his arm he sent a wave of magic knocking the still surprised Voldemort twenty-foot off his feet. Feeling the drain on his magic already Sirius drew his second wand in a flash and immediately began defending against curses from the rising Death Eaters.

Quickly finding the Death Eater who had his and Harry's wands, Sirius cast a powerful complex wandless shield that would protect him against the majority of curses. The only downside was that it was magically taxing but he thought that he would be able to hold itfor a minute at most plus the Unforgivables would shatter it upon contact. Grabbing his opportunity, Sirius ignored the barrage of lights that hit his shield and cried:

"Iuguolo"

A powerful Throat Slitting curse powered its way through the Death Eaters flimsy shield, sending the man to the ground screaming and thrashing before he became deadly still just seconds after the curse had hit him. Constantly moving to dodge the majority of curses, Sirius quickly summoned his original wand along with Harry's. Then in one smooth motion Sirius flicked his left wrist that was holdings Harry's wand, wandlessly banishing the wand to the boy while at the same time slashing his wand in a motion that cut all the bindings that were previously holding his godson while pocketing the second wand.

Turning to face the Death Eaters, Sirius saw Harry rising to his feet in his peripheral vision and immeadiatly start blocking and dodging curses from the nearest four Death Eaters that had turned their attention to him. Raising his wand, Sirius dropped his shield and sent an Explosion Hex followed quickly by an Earthquake Curse into the midst of the Death Eaters hopefully buying himself some more time to think of a plan. Unfortunately it didn't as Sirius failed to take into account an enraged Voldemort who now back on his feet, his hands glowing with pure Dark Magic. Raising his hands in a circular motion the Dark Lord hissed:

"Detrium Explodus Asano"

The biggest bolt of Dark Magic Sirius had seen in his life came flowing out of Voldemort's hands in waves and cascaded its way towards him with speed unrivalled by any creature in existence. It hit Sirius before he was able to raise anything more than a weak shield and the Magic smashed into him, with only one tenth of the Dark Magic absorbed by the shield.

Sirius feel to the floor, wand rolling far from his reach as he screamed himself hoarse as pain racked every nerve in his body while it felt as though the Dark Magic was trying to overwhelm his whole being. It went on for what seemed an eternity as pain that far surpassed that of the Cruciatus assaulted him again and again.

Finally the pain ceased and looking up from his position face down on the floor, Sirius saw through blurred vision that Voldemort was looking slightly out of breath and had conjured himself a throne to sit on. His ears were still ringing and convulsions racked his body but Sirius tried in vain to get to his feet.

A sharp boot to the ribs sent the rising form of Sirius to the floor once more and when the escaped convict looked up once more, he saw a wave of Death Eaters begin to close in on him, led by none other than Lucius Malfoy.

"Pitiful Black, now your going to die the same way as that mudblood loving Potter friend of yours but first, how about I let you sample a little bit of my favourite curse." Malfoy hissed while raising his wand swiftly and pointing it straight at the barely moving prone figure of Sirius.

"Crucio"

The curse flew towards the animagus with speed but as Sirius prepared himself for pain beyond imagination a blur intercepted the curse at the last moment.

Sirius then watched with horror as his godson began to scream himself hoarse as his skin felt like white-hot knives were attacking every inch of him and his bones felt like pools of molten lava. Being unable to help Harry made Sirius feel like he was the biggest failure ever. Pushing himself up for a futile attempt to reach his godson, Sirius was struck by the fist of a Death Eater and fell to the floor hard. The next thing Sirius knew, Harry had stop screaming though he was whimpering softly like a hurt puppy and this time Remus, the traitor, had his wand trained right between Sirius's eyes, a cold detached look on his face.

"How the mighty have fallen Padfoot. You battled well but it was in vain. Say hello to James and Lily for me and tell them that their son shall be coming shortly too." Remus mocked the tone of his voice suggesting he loved every minute of putting an end to his former best-friends life.

"Avada Ked…"

Remus never got to finish the incantation he started however as seemingly out of nowhere a vial connected hard with the side of Remus's head, shattering blue smoke over the werewolf who hit the ground immeadiatly. Then an Explosion Hex sent four Death Eaters flying as Sirius watched with morbid fascination at the scene that was unfolding before him and he thought to himself _"I must have just been killed if I'm seeing this!"_

Severus Snape dressed in full Death Eater clothing was duelling his way through his supposed comrades with great proficiency, blowing the spy cover he had maintained for two decades to save the two people Sirius was sure he hated most in the world: himself and Harry Potter.

As another Death Eater fell under Snape's curses, Sirius for a moment believed that maybe Snape would reach the pair of them and at least get Harry to safety. Voldemort however, livid at the revelation that Snape was indeed a traitor all along and loyal to Dumbledore rose to his feet and stalking his way across the room, engaging himself in a duel with Snape.

A duel was not really a valid word to describe the beating that Voldemort gave Snape. The man who knew more Dark Arts than many seventh years upon entering Hogwarts lasted just four spells against an enraged Voldemort before being disarmed. From there Voldemort tortured Snape for a few minutes using various methods including a Dark Mark torture that judging the screams was far worse than the Cruciatus.

Finally getting bored, Snape was suspended in mid-air while Voldemort addressed his former servant for the last time.

"Ah Severus I always knew that there was something you weren't telling me but I could never find out what it was. Pity really, you were once one of my best servants but look at you now, a mudblood loving fool who is about to die for nothing." Voldemort hissed to the suspended Snape who had a resolute and determined look on his face that told everyone present that he was prepared to die rather than beg for mercy. Voldemort raised his wand while making one more proclamation to his Death Eaters making sure that they would never betray him.

"Let this be a lesson to you all. AVADA KEDAVRA"

Sirius watched with fascination as the curse rocketed towards Snape with lightning speed. The sickly green colour was only a foot from the mans face, that was now showing the realisation that he was going to die when a chair appeared out of the middle of nowhere and shattered to a million pieces as it took the curse for Snape. Voldemort spun round looking murderous when he came face to face with the only wizard he had ever feared.

"Not today Tom."

The voice of Albus Dumbledore echoed around the room bringing fear to all those Dark and courage to all his allies.

Dumbledore was not alone though; he had brought what Sirius thought were most odd-looking bunch of wizards he had ever seen. On his right stood Minerva McGonagall and Filius Flitwick, to his right stood Mundungus Fletcher, a shady wizard who was incredibly loyal to Dumbledore. To his left stood a pair of Ministry Aurors that Sirius didn't recognise at all, not even from the First War. Also in the group were a few people that Sirius had seen during the First War but couldn't quite remember their names. He though that one might have been Hestia Jones while another looked remarkably like a decade and a half older version of Sturgis Podmore.

"So Albus, come to save the boy and these worthless excuses for Purebloods. You've brought some Mudblood loving fools too, how interesting. The mighty Dumbledore and his rag tag group of friends come to save the boy-who-lived, his worthless Godfather and your precious spy." Voldemort hissed at Dumbledore who looked unfazed and simply turned his gaze to the struggling form of Sirius who was desperately trying to rise to his feet.

"Get Harry out of here."

This simple statement was like a muggle-starting siren; as if on cue everyone started firing curses and hexes towards the opposite group. Dumbledore went straight for Voldemort after freeing Snape who fell to the floor, body limp and they began duelling expertly, wandless and silent magic being exchanged as if it was the easiest thing in the world to do. McGonagall had started duelling who Sirius could make out as Nott while Flitwick began to duel Remus in earnest, spells flying back and forth in rapid movements without break.

Sirius made it to his feet and whipping his second wand out hissed "Brevisalvum Mali" .He breathed a quick sigh of relief as his limbs began responding to his commands once more. Sirius now made his way to Harry quickly. Harry was huddled up in the corner of the room, shaking badly and looking fearful and overwhelmed at the duelling going on around him what with him being wandless and with multiple Cruciatus exposure. Harry looked up briefly and met Sirius's gaze proceeding to attempt to rise to his feet in a desperate bid to get to his Godfather.

Only twenty-five foot away now, Sirius dodged a Killing Curse while blocking two spells and swiftly countered with two bone-breaking curses that struck their targets perfectly drawing screams of pain from the Death Eaters in question. Rolling away from another Killing Curse Sirius fired off several Earthquake Curses at his nearest advisories to buy himself a few seconds that he needed to reach Harry.

Sirius reached his godson and saw that he was not in good shape physically. Sirius immediately knew that Harry wouldn't be able to walk without aid let alone duel so Sirius did the only thing he could. Pointing his wand at Harry with a heavy heart, Sirius muttered:

"Brevisalvum Mali"

Harry straightened up to his feet within seconds and after Sirius had stunned an incoming Death Eater, Harry gave Sirius a look that said he wanted to know what Sirius just did to him.

"Later Harry!" Sirius told the young boy as they started to move towards the exit where hopefully Sirius could find enough time to Portkey Harry to Hogwarts where he would be safe before he followed himself. Sirius was actually dreading when Madame Pomfrey found out that he cast the Quick Heal charm not just on himself but on a minor too especially when it is said to only use the curse in the direst of circumstances as it can cause long term damage easily.

None of that mattered right now as Sirius entered the mass of duelling that all the occupants bar Voldemort and Dumbledore had engaged in while avoiding all the fallen bodies. The Light and Dark Wizards alike were using any advantage necessary to get the upper hand in the ever-violent battle. Sirius, who wouldn't go further than arms distance away from Harry, would have rubbed his eyes with disbelief and laughed himself silly at the sight of Minerva McGonagall punching a Death Eater who had came too close to her had the severity of the situation been different.

As it was Sirius was using what felt like all the power he possessed keeping him and Harry defended whilst still making progress in their quest to the exit and subsequent safety. Looking around briefly, Sirius saw that many of the lesser members of both the Light and Dark sides were fallen quickly and in around a minute about seven or eight fighters had fallen as the duels got more intense. Sadly the thing Sirius was sure of was that more than one would never rise again. There were actually only 8 people still duelling if you excluded Voldemort, Dumbledore, Sirius and Harry. Unfortunately it was five on three for the Death Eaters as Remus, Nott, Avery, Macnair and one unknown to Sirius fought Flitwick, McGonagall and a large black man who wore Ministry robes.

Sirius felt guilty as he made his way closer to the exit that he was not helping the Light side but Harry had to come first and Dumbledore had ordered him to get Harry to safety above all else.

The only problem that remained now was getting to the doors when it meant going through the area where Dumbledore and Voldemort were currently duelling furiously, each one not willing to give an inch to the other as they used everything in their own power to fell the other. Cautiously Sirius tried to stay the furthest distance away from the pair while keeping Harry closest to the wall. The pair where only forty feet away from the door when a women's scream made Sirius cease walking and turned round praying that he wouldn't see what he dreaded but once again God went over his head.

Minerva McGonagall, the Head of Gryffindor House lay flat on the floor, screaming herself hoarse as she was held under the Cruciatus Curse at the hands of Remus Lupin. Sirius heard Harry take a gasp of breath beside him as Flitwick and the other Auror were trying desperately to reach her. Sirius himself was too far away to help and Dumbledore was engaged with Voldemort. McGonagall lay there twitching and screaming though it sounded as though her vocal cords had been already damaged. By now she was foaming at the mouth and looking like that with every second more she was held under the curse that she was losing her sanity. Suddenly Flitwick, in a burst of power that reminded Sirius of the duelling champion stories he had heard about in his youth, blast Avery thirty-foot across the floor. Then before anyone in the vicinity could react, he raised his wand and in an enraged tone that nobody had ever heard screamed:

"Flabraorum"

Gusts of winds came out of nowhere and lifted Lupin far off the ground and flung him across the room where from a fifty foot drop he landed with a sickening but somewhat satisfying thud.

The other three Death Eaters whom Flitwick and the Auror were duelling took advantage of Flitwick's offensive streak and lack of defence and within seconds the Death Eaters were three against one with Filius Flitwick now out of the game so to speak.

Sirius saw this and knew that he would have to get out of there now if he were to escape successfully. Grabbing Harry tightly, the pair moved as quickly as possible to the exit and was within seconds of escaping when Sirius suddenly raised off the ground slightly as an unknown spell struck him. His head hit the stone wall hard and he found himself momentarily dazed and only vaguely heard Harry shouting his name and trying to drag him to the door.

This however had the unfortunate reaction of causing Dumbledore to look in the direction of the boy-who-lived shouts and seeing three Death Eaters approach him; he turned and sent a blast of magic that managed to fell one of them. This gave the weakening Voldemort the chance he so badly needed to get ahead in the duel and the next thing Dumbledore knew was that he had been banished across the room, landed hard on the stone floor and was now around 100 feet away from the action.

Voldemort capitalised on this straight away and seeing Sirius unguarded and dazed on the floor he quickly raised his wand and hissed the two words that instilled fear in even the greatest of wizards:

"Avada Kedavra"

It was if the world slowed down for the next few moments and for everyone still conscious it would be a moment that changed the future and effect more people than anyone could possibly imagine.

Sirius still dazed and confused tried his hardest to move out of the path of the sickly green Unforgivable but was unable to. His life flashed before his eyes. _"His childhood horrors…Being sorted into Gryffindor…His family disowning him…The Marauders…James…Lily…Harry…Remus…"_Sirius closed his eyes and waited for the green light to overwhelm him, he had accepted his fate but it never came.

Albus Dumbledore had seen some sights in his life, seen horrors beyond the human imagination, and experienced what he thought was every single emotion in the spectrum but at that moment in time he had never felt so hopeless. Even with power greater than but a handful of wizards in history, knowledge that could fill a library, he could still do nothing to help. Summoning his power in vain, he smashed through the anti-apparation wards that the Voldemort had erected forcing Dumbledore and his allies to enter through Portkeys, like they were made of paper. Yet he was still too late but what was worse was that someone else had got there before him and what he was seeing would be forever etched into his very soul.

In the ultimate act of selflessness, Harry had managed to get away from the two Death Eaters that he was holding off and had flung himself in front of his Godfather and by extension the Killing Curse before anyone could stop him.

Sirius opened his eyes and was ready to face death like a man when suddenly Harry jumped in front of him. It felt like his world was being torn in two.

"HARRY, NOOOOOOO!" Sirius screamed as he heard Albus shout a similar message in vain, all thoughts of injuries and pain gone as he watched the Killing Curse strike his godson in the chest. Then something happened that no one could have foreseen.

An explosion of golden light from Harry cut off all laughter from Voldemort as the Killing Curse hit him, shaking the room to its very foundations. All spectators were frozen in position as Harry let out an inhuman scream of pain as the ever-brightening golden light intersected with the green light of the Killing Curse. To them it looked like Harry was actually fighting the Killing Curse and was winning. Then out of nowhere Pheonix song appeared and Harry started to float in mid-air, his normal bright green eyes had turned a bright gold and unrivalled power radiated off his small frame in waves.

Suddenly Harry raised his right hand and a bolt of golden light shot from his palm and struck one of the two still standing Death Eaters sending him crashing into the nearest wall with so much power that he was literally imbedded in it. Raising his hands again Harry was about to shoot another golden bolt of power when Voldemort and the last Death Eater both raised their wands and shouted:

"AVADA KEDAVRA"

This time two Killing Curses sped their way towards the floating form of Harry, who seemed unable to move and under complete control of the golden light that was now part of him. This time however Dumbledore was prepared and again a chair appeared in mid-air and intercepted one of the beams of green light. Even Dumbledore wasn't quick enough though and Sirius's futile effort to conjure an obstacle failed miserably.

Once again the unblockable Killing Curse hit Harry but instead of falling to the floor dead as every other person who had been hit by the curse did, Harry simply floated back down towards the ground. Then with a sad, regretful look on his face, he leisurely shot another golden beam of light off that imbedded the last remaining Death Eater, Macnair into the wall next to where his comrade lay.

Then as Voldemort raised his wand once more, Harry turned his back on the Dark Lord and looked a shocked Sirius in the eyes. What Harry saw was anger, pain, failure, sadness, regret and love. Putting his hands on either side of his Godfather's head as if he had been doing it all his life, Harry muttered a few words and Sirius felt all the pain leave his body as his injuries healed and his depleted power replenished and astonishingly he felt more powerful than ever,. Then looking Sirius in the eyes Harry said his final words before the green light enveloped him for the third and last time:

"I love you Padfoot"

With that, Harry James Potter fell to the ground, never to rise again.

Sirius just sat there for a second not comprehending what had just transpired. Then it all hit him at once. Harry, his Harry was dead and he wasn't coming back. His reason for living had gone. But as he cradled the body of his beloved godson, Sirius heard the mocking laugh of Voldemort as he taunted Dumbledore who was pulsating with rage and was filled with hate greater than you could imagine.

Gently putting Harry down, Sirius jumped to his feet and screamed:

"AVADA KEDAVRA"

Out of his hands came a beam of green light bigger than that of which any had seen before. Voldemort apparated away quickly, the look upon his face telling everyone that their was now two wizards in the world that he feared and he had just killed the person dearest to them:

Sirius Black and Albus Dumbledore were fuming and as Sirius dropped to the floor, tears wetting his dead godson's body, Sirius swore that he would kill Voldemort if it were the last thing he ever did.

**AN**

**Don't fear people, this is not the end, still a massive chapter to go, then the Epilouge.**

**Araidel: My ideas? Do you know until you asked I had never really thought about it. I think they come from the fact that I like to be original plus looking at events from different aspects can give you great ideas. I have just started a story in draft called Unconditional, the Third Story in the Black Saga and its shaping up to be even better than this. If you like a twisted idea read my one shot, Twisted!**

**Geminia****: I'm touched by you review, now that you've broken the habit do you reckon that you could do a third maybe, no pressure!**

**Cheers**

**Halstead**


	4. Conclusion

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, he belongs to J.K Rowling and if you are reading this and think any different then St. Mungo's should be your next port of call.

**Chapter 4: Conclusion**

It has been just over a year since the day that changed destinies, the day that many people lost a part of themselves to the darkness, the day that the boy-who-survived-everything, Harry James Potter finally lost his impossible battle against the dark. But he has not been forgotten and as the full armies of the Light and the Dark gather for what has been heralded by many as the "final battle", no one else has been affected more than Sirius Black and Albus Dumbledore. They both were changed irreparably that day when they saw Remus Lupin declare himself the traitor that killed Lily and James Potter and align himself with the Dark Lord. They had changed when they witnessed the sacrifice Harry made for his Godfather even after been beaten with more than any normal human being could have taken. It was unconditional love at its best and they both decided that they would not let Harry's sacrifice to be in vain. It was quite ironic the way the way the pair went about their vow to Harry as even as the army of the light, led by Dumbledore gathered, he had not seen Sirius since that day in Riddle Manor.

Sirius Black had taken his godson's death and his best friends' betrayal as bad as could be possible and had disappeared for months on end after the night of his godson's death with no one knowing of his whereabouts. There had been rumours that he had hunted down Voldemort himself and had foolishly challenged the Dark Lord and had paid for it with his life. The truth however couldn't have been further from it. Upon reappearance, having been given a full pardon by the new Minister, Sirius ambushed and killed three Death Eaters that were about to enter the Zabini Manor. The Zabini's, a pure-blooded family that openly rejected Voldemort reported that they saw a man that was without a doubt Sirius Black, a well known pureblood before his trip to Azkaban and powerful fighter against the Dark Arts before being framed for the murder of Peter Pettigrew. They swore that they had seen Sirius kill all three Death Eaters mercilessly then burn a mark into each of their bodies before disappearing despite their being anti-apparition wards on the grounds. This was the first of many sightings of Sirius that always had three things in common. One was that he was always seen fighting people that turned out to be connected strongly with the Dark Arts. Another was that these people were already dead when the Ministry turned up and finally and perhaps most shockingly, the bodies were branded with a gold lightning bolt that encompassed the person's torso.

These attacks by Sirius were sometimes witnessed and rumours had started flying upon what people had seen. Sirius had finally dropped his laid-back personality and embraced his potential it had seemed along with many rituals to increase his power. These rituals, similar to that of which Voldemort had undertaken decades before had made some people fear Sirius to be the next Dark Lord but the Ministry refuted all of these accusations saying that they knew about Sirius and his actions. Rumours were also flying about the changes Sirius had gone through. Some said that he no longer needs sleep and never rested, always hunting down Death Eaters, night and day. Others have said that Sirius was more powerful than Merlin whilst some people suggested that his sanity snapped that fateful night and now he lives for only one thing: revenge.

This inevitably led to split in half in opinion over Sirius. In one corner of the magical community, Sirius Black was a hero who had personally taken out over thirty people who wore the Dark Mark. Also if reports from the continent were to be believed, Sirius was the man responsible for hunting down the Dark Creatures that had pledged their allegiances to Voldemort. The other corner of the Magical community claimed that the Ministry should arrest Sirius, who they said was too dangerous and throw him back in Azkaban but they were too weak and were becoming a dictatorship under their new leadership. Thankfully the second group is a small minority and in fact the Ministry is as strong as it has been in recent years and this is due to the new Minister, Albus Dumbledore.

Dumbledore devastated and drained emotionally upon return from Riddle Manor that night arrived back at Hogwarts to find that Cornelius Fudge was waiting for him. The Minister, fuming at the diabolical that had happened with the Third Task wanted Harry Potter for questioning. Before Dumbledore could speak the demoralising news, Fudge started spouting about how the boy was turning Dark and all this rubbish about You-Know-Who returning was mindless hysteria from a boy desperate for attention. To put it lightly, this snapped the last of Dumbledore's patience, from that moment his caring, kind, grandfather like persona disappeared forever along with any tolerance with the Minister and his ignorance. Fudge knew that he had said something wrong and he had found out when the last words that Dumbledore had said to him, eyes blazing, air crackling with power was that Harry had died in battle with Voldemort. The next thing Fudge remembered was waking up in his office. Fudge had tried to spin this to his advantage but found that any article he had sent to the Daily Prophet had been edited. When he angrily confronted the editor he was told that Dumbledore had taken up his rightful place at the head of the editing instead of letting the paper appoint someone, a position he had given up years ago. This angered Fudge further yet he did not get to act as within days he had been forced out of his position as Minister. To rub salt into his wounds, within in a week, using a technique that hadn't been employed for decades; Albus Dumbledore had been approved by all the Department Heads and finally to the delight of a grieving Wizarding World had been named Minister for Magic.

This led to widespread changes and reform in the Wizarding World not seen since the time of Merlin. Within weeks all suspected Death Eaters had either been arrested or questioned on their loyalties with many ending up in Azkaban but the majority disappeared before this could happen, Lucius Malfoy one of them.

Azkaban was stripped of the Dementors in a controversial move but this made the Prison more secure as Voldemort found when he raided it for his loyal Death eaters from the First War. Instead of an easy victory like he thought, in the end only four Death Eaters escaped after heavy fighting. Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband Rabastian and her younger brother escaped along with a couple of Death Eaters from the Outer Circle

A new Auror Academy had been set up with Dumbledore providing the wards himself and a whole new stricter training plan had been set in place for the future whilst the current Aurors had been given crash courses in Advanced Magic by Dumbledore himself along with Muggle Fighting Technique seminars.

Dumbledore also instituted many other changes with a long-term reform plan of the laws in the Wizarding World started. Magical Creatures and non-humans were given more rights that had been taken away under previous Ministries. Crucially for the light, this led to many of these joining the light though many still joined Voldemort as did more Wizards every day as the Light and Dark sculpted their armies for the inevitable showdown.

That showdown was today, the 31st of October 1996, exactly fifteen years to the day since Harry Potter banished the Dark Lord for over a decade and became the boy-who-lived. The Light Forces had been trying for weeks to find out where Voldemort was planning to attack with little success. Since Snape showed his true colours, Dumbledore, The Order of the Pheonix nor the Ministry had not managed to get any spies close to Voldemort's Inner Circle, thus finding out very little.

However at dawn today, the Order had received a tip off from an anonymous source that many creatures were moving into position today and that Diagon Alley was going to be the target. Relaying this information to the Ministry, Dumbledore and a team of Unspeakable's quickly found out within the hour that this message was indeed correct and that the source was reliable. From there on, the message had been sent to all the Allies of the Light and less than twelve hours later, as most of the Dark Army, led by Voldemort Portkeyed into Diagon Alley, Dumbledore and the Order of the Pheonix were already waiting for him.

After landing in Diagon Alley, Voldemort knew that things hadn't gone to plan; there was too much residual magic. Waving his hand the Dark Mark appeared in the air just as Dumbledore stepped out of the shadows, the Order watching every step he made with baited breath in their hiding places as the Leader of the Light stepped out to face Voldemort alone.

"Hello Tom, good day for a stroll isn't it?" Dumbledore nonchalantly said; his whole body relaxed though the more astute wizards could see that he was anything but, the air humming with raw power.

Voldemort looked surprised for a second at seeing Dumbledore standing alone before him in Diagon Alley and he could hear mutterings of disbelief and even fear from the gathering behind him but he would deal with those people later. Extending his senses briefly Voldemort sensed an extremely high proportion of magical beings cloaked and hidden, no doubt by Dumbledore and knew that this was not going to plan.

"Albus you old fool, do you really believe you can stop me now. I have obtained power greater than you can ever dream of possessing, power that will make me stronger than my ancestor Salazar Slytherin and power that will let me rule the world." Voldemort hissed, fuming at the perfectly calm pose of the old man in front of him.

"Evil never wins Tom, while there is breath there is still hope." Albus softly exclaimed, his words carrying throughout the Alley as if he had screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Don't call me that you senile fool. You will perish soon Albus and who will carry your burden on old man. Your one hope begged for my mercy before I killed him." Voldemort hissed even louder at his last comment like he was trying to laugh but not coming close.

These words reverberated through the air and it seemed they had struck a nerve as the air literally palpitated with magic as Dumbledore took upon a furious look that sent Voldemort back to steps before he realised something and stood his ground. However he looked unnerved at the scary look that Dumbledore wore.

"A child Tom, a mere child and you were scared of him. It took you three Killing Curses to kill him and even then he was defiant in death. You will pay for that Tom; I will happily go to hell if it means that I am the one to deliver this retribution." Dumbledore spoke in a tone that none present had ever heard, it was the tone of fury.

"You are nothing old man, nothing. Your time has passed and I will show the world. Black was supposed to be this big hero but where is he. He is probably crying at the coffin of his little baby godson. I am mighty, he is weak." Voldemort tensed readying himself not admitting to himself that Black was starting to unnerve him slightly, the man had pursued him through Europe relentlessly. He raised his wand swiftly but not before Dumbledore interjected one last time.

With a raise of his hand the Headmaster flung two balls of pure lighting at the Dark Lord, his robes whipping as he bellowed, "For Harry Potter"

With that last proclamation, the duelling started, faster and fiercer than ever before. The two sides were not just fighting a battle; they were fighting for the whole Wizarding World. Wizards fought for their freedom, they fought for their country and they fought for everything good. There were no formalities in this battle; this was the Survival of the Fittest to the highest order.

The battle raged for hours without either side gaining an advantage that could lead them to victory whilst Sirius had not yet made his presence known, having entered the battle late, cloaked and spelled to remain anonymous. It was by now five hours since the fight commenced and as the sun setting cast a blood red shadow over Diagon Alley, both sides were still battling ferociously though the number of warriors on each side had diminished considerably since the start.

Corpses of human's and creatures alike were strewn throughout the whole of the alley with pockets of fighting everywhere. The Dementors had been repelled with great loss and it was only because of the Goblins coming to the Lights aid at the last moment, helping them destroy the Dark creatures before they retreated back to Gringotts that the battle still raged.

But as the cloaked form of Sirius battled his way swiftly through the alley, he saw, far in the distance, a large group battling outside Gringotts and had no doubt in his mind that this would be where he found the prey that he sought.

He had entered discreetly and had been sickened at the death that hung in the air; the stench of it had rocked him for a moment though his stoic expression had never wavered. A shield protected him from any stray curse as he begun to battle his way through the masses trying to stay inconspicuous though he helped the Light without guilt, sending Blasting Curses and other powerful destruction curses at the Death Eaters, his conscience long gone.

Seeing two Auror's outnumbered three-to-one by Death Eaters, Sirius quickly turned his wand on one and before anyone could register his presence, Sirius had dropped the person in a flash of green light. Two more Death Eaters spun round firing Cutting Curses that were easily dodged. Sirius made no move to counter attack apart from flicking his hand inconspicuously so the two Death Eaters fired stronger Dark Curses that would damage a person's vital organs whilst one sneered.

"Ready to die, Mudblood lover?"

To their amazement Sirius just held his non-wand arm out and when the curses were near him he just swatted them back towards the Death Eaters with a wave of his palm. One of the Death Eaters was too slow to dodge and got caught by his own curse whist the other managed to raise a shield in time.

Sirius wasted no more time and within ten seconds the other Death Eater was dead too. Turning his attention to the two Aurors who had managed to kill another one of the Death Eaters that they were facing, Sirius pointed his wand at the last two who were oblivious to him and waved it in a complex movement. The affect was instantaneous. Both Death Eaters' necks twisted at an incomprehensible angle and they too dropped to the ground in a lifeless slump. Wasting no time, Sirius made sure that his cloak was still up and proceeded towards Gringotts.

Making his way swiftly towards Gringotts where the main battle of power was happening, Sirius knew that he couldn't afford to waste anymore time stopping to help people though he wished with his whole being that he could, after all these people were only innocents. Once in a while, a Death Eater or two would try and engage Sirius into a duel but all Sirius did was block the attacks on him, turn invisible and curse the Death Eaters dead within seconds before reappearing. He always reappeared, not wanting to waste too much magic, and continued on his quest of sorts towards the white marble buildings.

Once closer to Gringotts, Sirius felt the air thick with used magic and knew straightaway that this was where the majority of action had and was taking place. Putting up the strongest Invisibility Charm he could muster, Sirius walked past Order Members and Death Eaters alike, occasionally sending Silent Magic at the backs of Death Eaters. His destination was where Voldemort and Dumbledore were battling, encased in a protective dome that Sirius could tell Voldemort had set up as it practically gave out Dark Magic. Testing the shield and its strength, Sirius soon found out that he had to bring it down quickly as it was a shield that was draining Dumbledore's magical energy and if brought down by the caster, could cause massive damage, killing anyone in it, so whatever happened, the outcome wouldn't be good.

Drawing his wand Sirius started muttering an ancient incantation that he hoped above all else would work. After speaking for about twenty seconds or so, Sirius's wand tip started to go blue and Sirius prepared for the final stage of his spell. Thankfully both Voldemort and Dumbledore were too busy battling each other to concentrate enough to see through Sirius's invisibility though Sirius thought that if he didn't get in there quicker than Dumbledore might die. Raising his wand high in an arc to initialise the final part of the spell, Sirius saw Dumbledore succumb to the increased power of Voldemort, who had sunk deeper than ever before into Dark Magic in his bid for immortality and ultimate power. Falling to his knees, Dumbledore looked up and stared right into the monster's eyes and trying to move found he was trapped by magic. Preparing to die like a man, Dumbledore saw Voldemort smirk and mutter "Sonorous" before shouting in a smug victorious tone:

"Look what your mighty Leader of the Light has become; A beaten and bowed man on his knees. Any last words old man before you finally lose your life to the great power of the Dark and Salazar Slytherin?"

Never breaking eye contact, Dumbledore spoke in a clear concise voice that carried to everyone within hearing range "In my place will come another, and in his place will be another. The Dark may win the battle, but the Light will always prevail."

Scoffing, a furious Voldemort raised his wand just as Sirius slashed his wand in a downwards arc, silently bringing down the shield. Not noticing, the Dark Lord couldn't help but make one parting comment at the fallen form of Dumbledore.

"Who Albus, who will be there to challenge the infinite power of Lord Voldemort. Harry Potter is dead and you are soon to follow. The rest of your rag tag Order is either too old or doesn't have the power. Goodbye Albus?"

Raising his wand Voldemort never broke eye contact with Albus before waving his wand and bellowing "Hari Kiri"

Gasps were heard from the few people that had heard of the First Unforgivable. Hari Kiri was the original Killing Curse. Once hit, a person would die within an hour and there was no chance of escaping. During that hour the person would be subject to pain much greater than the Cruciatus. The modern day Killing Curse however was better as it travelled faster plus was unblockable. Sirius knew he had to get to Albus in time, the death of Dumbledore could cause the Light side to collapse and not even he could defeat the entire Dark Army on his own.

Apparating through the wards so that he was placed in front of Dumbledore was quite power draining but it was the only way to save him. Invisibility cancelled, Sirius appeared out of nowhere in front of Dumbledore, just in time to flick his wand and stop the curse in mid-air before rebounding it back at Voldemort, the curse travelling twice that of his original speed.

Even though he had taken Voldemort by complete surprise, the inhuman being was just about able to raise a shield in time though he did stagger under the power of the curse. Looking straight at Sirius, Voldemort thought that perhaps he had underestimated Black but it would be insubstantial in the end, he would die just like all the others did.

"So coward, you finally decided to turn up" Voldemort stated looking straight at Sirius who never even moved a muscle. "It doesn't matter though; do you think you are anything special?" The Dark Lord hissed before adding one more passing comment, not able to help himself, "Where's your Godson and saviour now. He's dead and you will be joining him shortly."

Sirius could feel the blood pounding through his ears as the mocking words of Voldemort floated through his head. Quicker than the human eye Sirius raised his wand and shouted:

"Avada Kedavra"

The curse sped at the Dark Lord who looked shocked again before dodging the curse at the last second, the green of death missing him by mere inches.

"That was the first time that anyone has sent a fatal curse at me Black and I can see that you carry the power of your ancestors in abundance but as you can see, I am more than a match for you." Voldemort hissed, superiority lacing his voice.

Sirius needed an edge, he knew that he was about similar in power to what Voldemort was a few months ago but he wondered how many rituals the monster had put himself through since then. He was also quite peeved that he had to use a portion of power apparating through the wards but he knew that he couldn't let Dumbledore die. Then it came to him, he had to do what no person had ever done.

"I disagree, I Sirius Orion Black challenge you, Tom Marvolo Riddle to a Wizards Duel. The only term, till death do us part." Sirius bellowed after casting a small Sonorous Charm on his voice.

The effect was instantaneous. The fighting between the two sides that had become half hearted due to the majority half watching the duel between Voldemort and Dumbledore then consequently Sirius had nearly stopped completely as someone had actually challenged the Dark Lord to a duel.

Voldemort looked taken aback for a slight second before hissing, "I agree, now bow to death blood-traitor."

Sirius felt immense pressure on his back and he knew straightaway that this was the same thing that Voldemort had done to Harry back in the graveyard over a year ago. Fury bubbling up inside him at the image of Voldemort killing Harry while he lay there just watching, Sirius easily shook of the curse.

Raising his hand, Sirius merely waved casually but it sent Voldemort flying backwards, the Dark Lord staggering, trying to gain some semblance of balance. Snarling and hissing, the Dark Lord raised his wand and screamed:

"Iugulo"

Sirius easily side stepped the curse but it seemed like the Dark Lord's scream had awakened the rest of the people within the vicinity as the battle rose to another level. Sirius was dimly aware of a weakened Dumbledore duelling three Death Eaters but he needed to keep his full concentration.

From there on the battle reached new heights. Either side sensed a victory while neither side contemplated loss. Sirius flung everything he had at Voldemort while the monster himself looked strained at times countering such magic's. Silent Magic, Pure Magic even the Elements were traded as the ultimate battle raged in the centre, each fighter not willing to yield.

Sirius deftly blocked a Paralysis Hex while sending two Fireballs in return only having to dive out of the way when a Tornado was sent his way. He could see now from his limited view of the duelling that the Light were being slowly pushed back onto the steps of Gringotts where they were getting penned in.

Sirius and Dumbledore were on the front line, the Headmaster now duelling five Death Eaters simultaneously while Sirius had his hands full with an enraged Voldemort. Every second both men witnessed members of the Light Army being struck down and Dumbledore had had enough.

Raising his hands and muttering briefly Dumbledore raised his hand and a blast of power that made the hairs on Sirius's neck stand up knocked all five Death Eaters flying. His body sagging at the amount of power channelled, Dumbledore then raised his hands and started chanting, his body channelling magic more and more. Invisible winds whipped his robes and he levitated into the air as his chanting got stronger and stronger.

Busy deflecting the power of the Dark Lord, Sirius caught onto to what Dumbledore was doing too late and by that time he had already finished. Cursing himself, Sirius turned to Voldemort who also saw Albus rise and started sending curse after curse at him as well as Sirius, knowing this to be a turning point of the battle.

Sirius was screaming in his head at the utter selflessness and stupidity of the Headmaster. The man had erected a shield that no curse could penetrate except the Killing Curse but people who the caster wished could fire through one side. The problem was he had left himself open to attack plus the fact that it was incredibly draining and even the most powerful of mages could hold it for a minute before dying as they had used every spark of magic inside them.

The Light took their chance with both hands and begun mercilessly firing curses at the Death Eaters who started dropping like flies. Sirius saw some of them raising the strongest shield they could muster while trying to flee but they soon realised that only one or the other had a chance of working.

The seconds went on and Sirius was panting heavily at having to deflect curses sent at both him and Dumbledore, two curses having already grazed him while the majority of his energy was being spent protecting the Headmaster.

Unfortunately it was like trying to hold your breath. At first you might succeed but the more time that passes the higher the risk of failing becomes until you can't stop it. It had been close to a minute and Sirius was amazed at the power the Headmaster held, while he was shaking and sweating, looking on the verge of collapse he was still holding on.

Blocking a Bone Breaking Curse sent at Dumbledore, Sirius was barely able to deflect a Coma Curse before blocking one last curse for the Headmaster before his luck run out. A Blasting Curse hit him straight in the chest, knocking him off his feet and to the hard cobble stones, his ribs aching with every breath. Jumping to his feet despite the pain, Sirius wasn't quick enough. During them mere seconds Voldemort had sent a Cannonball Curse at Dumbledore, who without no one to defend him had been struck full on, knocking him out of the air and to the ground with a sickening crunch, his chest not moving as he lay there unmoving.

The Death Eaters recovered fast and with renewed hope they went on the offensive. Sirius reacted quickest out of anyone but he didn't see that Voldemort was raising his arms. Oblivious and with fury powering his magic Sirius raised his hand and bellowed:

"Opacus Funesto"

It was then after he looked closely that Sirius saw a beam of jet black light speeding towards him with about as much chance of averting it as pulling Miss Diagon Alley while Padfoot.

Both curses struck at the same time with Sirius being ten feet backwards by the sheer power behind the Darkest Magic possible. Sirius slammed into a lamppost but barely realised it, as he was already drifting in and out of consciousness while his body was desperately and hopelessly fighting the Magic that was shutting his vital organs down. Through blurred vision saw Sirius saw that Voldemort was yet to rise back to his feet but Sirius knew that his Curse was not enough to permanently stop the Dark Lord, Powerful Shadow Magic or not.

Hope fleeing him as quickly as his life was, Sirius thoughts turned to Harry and how he had let him down, he had failed to avenge his beloved godson's death, he was a weak failure. As his vision was darkening Sirius was sure that he could hear faint music in the background, from where he did not know. As his vision was got worse and his brain started to shut down, Sirius heard the music getting stronger and amazingly so was his vision. Then he realised what he was hearing, Pheonix song, but from where? Looking around wildly Sirius felt energy, magic and perhaps greatest of all, hope coursing through his body but still he saw no Pheonix. Then he realised why he couldn't see the Pheonix, there wasn't one. In fact, the music was in his head! Then just as he was struggling to his knees and shaking the remnants off of the Curse Voldemort sent his way, Sirius heard a voice in his head that he was sure he would never hear again.

"I love you Padfoot."

The words of Harry Potter echoed out in Sirius's head and the man nearly fainted on the spot. _"I must be hallucinating!"_ he thought as he stood to his feet. Then suddenly as if he didn't think that hearing his dead godson's voice in his head along with Pheonix song as well as it saving his life weird, a flash of flame appeared in front of Sirius and once the flames died down, there, suspended in mid-air was a sword. Not just any sword, a ruby encrusted sword that any wizard who knew their history would recognise. It was the Sword of Godric Gryffindor in all its glory.

Sending his wand back into its holster and snatching he sword out of mid-air, Sirius felt all his feelings for Harry intensify. Calmly, as if he knew what he was going to do, Sirius held the sword tightly and steadied his feet. Before he could make his way towards where Voldemort was, the inhuman being beat him too it, having risen to his feet earlier and was already in the process of moving towards where he thought lay a dying man ready to lay down the killer blow.

Seeing that Sirius was not dying for some reason, the Dark Lord began firing powerful curses at Sirius, shocked that he survived his previous Curse but his eyes nearly popped out when he saw the man holding the Sword of Gryffindor in his grasp. Sirius, having all his magic replenished, was clearly stronger than the Dark Lord who was somewhat drained from the battle. Raising his hand and deflecting the curses Sirius fired a strong bone breaking spell that Voldemort couldn't shield from in time. Voldemort hit the ground again, though immediately he rose, firing waves of Dark Magic at Sirius who quickly sent waves of his own stronger Light Magic back at the Dark Lord who was slowly being weakened more and more by the amount of magic he was using. Sirius knew his time to act was now and he sent curse after curse at Voldemort, each one stronger than the last.

Finally Sirius got his reward when Voldemort got struck by a powerful Lightning Spell and fell to the ground, his snake like body convulsing. The quickly conjuring a sheath for the sword, Sirius sheathed it and strapped it to his side because he needed both hands free. Sensing that he needed to do this quickly Sirius started waving his hands in complex motions while chanting:

"Regno Zeus Vovere Nudo Immanis Aspectus"

As Sirius chanted, those people sensitive to magic in a thousand-mile radius of Diagon Alley felt magic hum in the air. It was almost tangible. Voldemort was now panicking and by the look of his moving mouth and twitching limbs, he was attempting to move and shout but was held in place by an invisible force. Slamming his palms together hard, Sirius begun chanting again

"Divulgo Pectus Mortalis Divulgo Adlido"

A bolt of Pure Magic was starting to form in front of Sirius; a pure white that no human colour could do justice to, the white was blinding, given off an ethereal light as it visibly pulsed. Taking a deep breath Sirius finished the chant in a strong voice:

"Duxi Divugo Praeterea Pectus Mortalis"

The next set of events took place so quickly that even if anyone witnessed the event, they would not have seen what happened, only the outcome.

The bolt of Pure Magic upon the finishing of the chant that Sirius instigated started to hum and pulsate, trebling in size in less than second then flying into the body of the Dark Lord who was vainly trying to stand and mount an attack of his own on Sirius. The Pure Magic passed through the shield that Voldemort had raised with ease.

Once in contact with the Pure Magic, the Dark Lord issued an unearthly scream that would reside in the minds of those that heard it forever more. The scream was like that of a dying creature, full of the worst pain imaginable, it made the screams of Cruciatus sufferers sound like whispers. Voldemort's body then started to glow an eerie silver and visibly began to weaken as what looked like the magic that kept his body functioning was torn apart piece by piece, just leaving what magic he had always possessed and not an iota more.

Upon finishing its work, the ball of Pure Magic, now tainted black by whatever foreign and ritual magic it had found residing in Voldemort, ripped itself from the now mortal soul whose screams re-ignited upon the ball re-surfacing to the air where it disappeared without a trace.

Even though Sirius had just had his magic replenished, he swayed uneasily on his feet as he recovered from the huge amount of magic he had just lost invoking Ancient Magic to return Voldemort to his original state that was Tom Marvolo Riddle. Drawing his wand Sirius sent the Killing Curse at Voldemort who to his amazement still rolled out of the way though it looked like it had taken him great effort.

Rising to his feet unsteadily Voldemort drew his wand and stood there, his eyes now a horrible red/brown colour while the rest of his features now looked more like Tom Riddle than Voldemort.

"You pathetic fool Black, I could beat you in any form, my powers still outweigh yours, you will suffer the same fate as the rest of your friends unless you join me now. This is your last chance." Voldemort spoke in a half-hissed tone.

Sirius stood there for a moment looking at the pitiful being in front of him but Voldemort was still right. He was still more powerful than Sirius ever thought he would be but still not as powerful as Sirius was. Raising his hand Sirius quickly shouted:

"Blasot"

The Blasting Curse sped towards Voldemort who raised his hand to deflect the curse but was shocked as nothing happened and the curse hit him full on sending him to the floor, his chest now residing a massive burn where the curse struck.

Sirius was amazed at the arrogance Voldemort had just shown trying to deflect the curse with his hand when he knew that it took a good bit of power to do so, especially against powerful spells. Sirius quickly sent an Anti-Apparition Jinx at Voldemort making sure that he couldn't escape easily. Just as Sirius was about to send another spell at Voldemort however, the Dark Lord raised his wand and hissed:

"Serpensortia"

Three jet black Serpents roared towards Sirius, all around twenty-foot long and looking very deadly. Blasting two easily and then freezing the last one, Sirius had to hit the deck quickly to avoid the flash of the Killing Curse that the once again standing Voldemort had desperately flung at him.

Rolling to the side, Sirius was getting fed up and knew that he had to finish off the Dark Lord quickly before he either countered the Anti-Apparition Jinx or found another way to escape. Raising his hand Sirius bellowed:

"Congelo"

Voldemort conjured a shield but instead of aiming the curse for him, Sirius had aimed the curse at his feet thus making the shield worthless. Starting to slip, Voldemort quickly sent off a powerful Dark Arts hex before pointing his wand at himself and muttering "Wingardium Leviosa".

This was just what Sirius had hoped for and rolling forward, under the curse Voldemort had sent, Sirius quickly muttered a wandless Agility Charm before propelling himself into the air, his body launching itself at the now just rising form of Voldemort.

Closing the gap between he two with great speed, Sirius sent a stunner at the shocked form of Voldemort who was trying vainly to get out of the path of the flying man. Voldemort easily blocked the curse as Sirius expected but as Sirius was ten foot away and closing he sent another stunner that Voldemort blocked easily again.

Then with unbelievable quickness, Sirius whipped out the Sword of Gryffindor from what appeared to be thin air and before Voldemort could do anything magical or otherwise to stop him, Sirius slashed the Dark Lord right across his chest with a vicious blow that drew deep into the chest.

Falling to the ground, Levitation Spell forgotten, Voldemort's body was gushing blood making it look like a fountain while the man himself was still, though you could still see the shallow rise and fall of his blood soaked chest indicating that he was indeed still alive.

Sheathing the sword before landing swiftly on his feet, Sirius cancelled the Agility Charm with the barest flick of his hand and then without any prelude, whipped out his wand pointing it firmly at the fallen form of the Dark Lord and saying in a voice that commanded power:

"Avada Kedavra"

The sickly green coloured Killing Curse shot towards the fallen form of the Dark Lord and struck the fallen figure dead on. As the Curse struck the figure a bang that Sirius was sure could be heard all over London resounded and a huge magical backlash was unleashed. This occurred as the magic inside Voldemort that had made him nearly immortal, though badly damaged by Sirius's ritual, fought for every ounce of life that the Killing Curse was trying to deprive Voldemort of.

Not prepared to put his faith in the power of the Killing Curse, Sirius strode over to where the body of Voldemort lay prone on the floor. The body was making an odd sound similar to that of someone gasping for air and producing something akin to magical radiation but frankly Sirius was beyond caring. Flicking his wand, the body of the once all-powerful Dark Lord became suspended mid-air in a kneeling position of sorts; Sirius drew the Sword of Gryffindor for the last time. Then casting a very powerful Enervation Charm, Sirius saw Voldemort's eyes flicker as he started to regain consciousness.

"How things have changed Tommy hey. Just a year ago I was weak and you were strong. Due to this I lost the most important thing in my life and I will never be able to forgive myself." Sirius started, his normally stoic eyes clouding with emotion as he realised that it was about to end. "But now, oh how the roles have changed. You know Tom, I could get used to being in control and all powerful but I'm not like you and would never be and now I get to finish what you started." Sirius finished snarling at the man suspended in front of him who actually looked scared, struggling against his invisible bonds to no avail.

Raising the Sword of Gryffindor high above his head in a wide arc, Sirius boomed in a deep voice:

"In the name of Harry James Potter, Last Heir of Gryffindor"

With that and an almighty whoosh and sickening crack, it was all over. Voldemort was defeated, his mortal head separated from his bloodied body, no spirit, no ethereal being, just one dead human body.

Falling to his knees, Sirius finally let the emotion out that he had been holding in for a year. Tears flowed as freely as the blood on the battlefield as Sirius finally realised that he had done the impossible. He had defeated Lord Voldemort, the most powerful Dark Lord since Salazar Slytherin and taken revenge for the murder of his Godson. He had taken revenge for the betrayal of friendship but he knew it had come at a high cost but Sirius knew that he would do it again.

Standing once more, Sirius turned to look at the battlefield one last time as that is the only thing that it could be described as, Diagon Alley was no more. It had been thoroughly decimated so badly that not one building was left untouched by the battle of Good vs. Evil. Sirius surveyed the broken and battered bodies that littered the once perfectly cobbled streets. He saw good men lying there broken, he saw what looked like to be an Order Member hugging the dead form of Dumbledore and lastly he saw the body in front of him. The body of Tom Marvolo Riddle, the self proclaimed Lord Voldemort, lying there, as mortal as any other on the battlefield and just as crucially, dead like the others as well.

With that thought still in mind and the burden of revenge finally lifted off his shoulders, Sirius reflected and found that he now had some semblance of peace. He could now get on with what he wanted to do and with his life in general.

With that previous thought still fresh in his mind, Sirius raised his wand and said the most unforgivable of words and did the act that he had wanted to do for over a year ever since Harry was murdered:

"Avada Kedavra"

A whoosh of Green Light later, Sirius Black, Conqueror of Voldemort, Marauder Supreme and beloved Godfather finally re-joined his godson, happy at last.

The End 

AN 

**Thank You all for reading. I know that I don't ask for reviews but if you have read this story could you please just review, it doesn't have to say anything apart from a name, it is just so that I know how many people have read the story and whether I should continue with the Black Saga.**

**Just the Epilogue left to go people. And it is very nearly done. A little glimpse into the future for you!**

**Cheers**

**Halstead**


	5. Epilogue: In Memory of Heroes

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, he belongs to J.K Rowling and if you are reading this and think any different then St. Mungo's should be your next port of call.**

Epilogue: In Memory of Heroes 

**December 3rd 2017******

It had been over twenty years since that fateful day when the light side won the brutal battle at Diagon Alley ending the Second War after only a year and destroying the monster Voldemort forever. The Light Side suffered heavy losses that day, with Sirius Black and Albus Dumbledore both perishing, along with many Aurors, Hogwarts Staff and various allies. A day that happened two decades ago but the Wizarding world refused to let the people forget the Second War and the price paid for the freedom so many these days take for granted.

There was no shadow of doubt in anyone's mind that the outcome of the Second War was the turning point of the Wizarding World and the subsequent reformation that was so badly needed. His successors, Amos Diggory and then later Anthony Goldstein completed the reformation of the Ministry, instigated by Albus Dumbledore who had begun setting many plans into motion and planning many more during his solitary year of reign. Gone were the draconian laws, ancient loopholes, corruption and malpractice.

The Wizenmagot was disbanded with just the Chief Warlock retaining the position of command; the Wizenmagot now resembled a Muggle jury and judicial system with members of the Wizarding community being randomly chosen to be on the panel of witches and wizards who gave the outcome of a trial.

Aurors were now trained with much more competence and in more powerful forms of magic including Chaos Magic. Magic that hadn't been taught to wizards in over a century.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was now completely independent from the Ministry with the Headmaster having total control over the school but easily removed if found to be doing a bad job or abusing his power.

For all their deeds, Harry Potter, Sirius Black and Albus Dumbledore were regarded as legends in the Wizarding Worlds, their reputations, actions and talents had put them in the league of the Four Founders and Merlin and they were held in just as high acclaim. For years after the War these people were mourned deeply by the Wizarding Community and still today they were remembered as heroes. People still raised toasts in bars and taverns across the land to Harry Potter, the-boy-who-lived and survivor of four Killing Curses in his lifetime, selflessly dying protecting his Godfather. To Sirius Black, Destroyer of Voldemort, Marauder, Second Saviour to the Wizarding World and the all-time Housewife favourite. Finally they raised there glasses to Albus Dumbledore, Protector of the Wizarding World for a Century, Conqueror of Grindelwald, Headmaster of Hogwarts, Twice Winner of the Order of Merlin: First Class and Leader of the Light.

Statues of the three together in their honour had been erected in Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, and Gringotts as the Goblins had insisted. Even the Ministry of Magic itself had a huge statue that every visitor would see, reminding him or her who had sacrificed everything just so they could have a normal life and enjoy their freedom.

It wasn't just the three heroes that were remembered though. People still told tales of Alastor Moody, taking down ten Death Eaters before being slain by Voldemort himself. Stories of Filius Flitwick, the little man with a heart of gold who had died to save innocents of Diagon Alley. People still talked of Minerva McGonagall for her courage and bravery in fighting in the final battle despite being partly paralysed and insane and for her unmatched Transfiguration power despite all of this. Severus Snape, for all that he had been and all that he had done and witnesses was regarded as a hero, revealing his true alliances to the Light to Voldemort himself in a room full of Death Eaters. The reason he blew years of work, to save the life of Sirius Black, a man who Snape hated most in life.

So many had lost their lives to save others for no reward other than the fact that the world would be a safer place. These people unlike some were not fated to fight the Darkness, had no obligations to the Wizarding World, no revenge plans to fulfil. These were normal people who had the courage to stand up to the Darkness and the survivors of the war never let the younger generation forget. These people had given everything they had to fight evil, their own lives included.

The Wizarding World has found peace and in the future will be better prepared for the fight against evil. But who is going to lead them. Harry Potter, Sirius Black and Albus Dumbledore had no kin left to carry on their names, dedicating their entire beings to fighting at times a seeming endless and futile battle when others would fall against evil.

The Witches and Wizards of today found Strength in Sacrifice, but are there any more out their willing to do the same when the time comes around?

**AN**

**The first story of the Black Saga is complete. But what is the Black Saga? The Black Saga is a collection of short stories revolving around Sirius Black. I have at the moment this one, a reworked version of Hate Lives but Love Conquerors and Unconditional, a story whose summary is now up on my LJ.**

**The Address: **

**I have one more plot idea in my head but I have to concentrate on finishing YHSR first so that will stay up in my head for now.**

**REVIWERS**

**Nat: Don't worry it was a fair question but hopefully the above answer will satisfy. Really there is no criteria apart from Sirius is the main character and more often or not Harry will be the secondary character.**

**Huge Thanks for reading and if you want anything answered, recommended etc. just drop me a mail.**

**If you liked this then read my one shot Twisted, its different I'll tell you that.**

**Cheers**

**Halstead**


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